Candace and I have been weekend warriors all summer. We traveled quite a bit for camping and hiking, biking and running. But September proved to be the travel month for races, bringing us many miles of road tripping to run.
Bun to Bun trail race, 26.4 km (16.4 miles), Talkeetna, AK. September 14th:
The Bun to Bun definitely makes the short list for one of my all time favorite trail races. First of all, it’s held in Talkeetna, our home away from home.
The modest race fees support the elementary school’s nutrition and arts program, and the whole community seems to be at the finish line. You get to run from the Flying squirrel bakery to the Roadhouse bakery (hence bun to bun). A free shuttle takes you from the downtown finish area to the start, where the race director’s speech goes something like this…. “then you take the river trail, I cringe when I say that because there are so many bears down there….I see some of you are carrying bear spray, that’s good.” I was not one of the runner’s carrying the spray!
This race is not an easy one, taking you on most of the developed trails in the area with LOTS of ups and downs. At one point, there’s a really steep section you must negotiate. I did slip onto my buns, despite the sign warning us otherwise.
The aid stations are great, the type where you actually stop and chat and eat M&Ms. This year, though, they served trail mix which I’m not a big fan of, but I did stop for drinks, despite carrying my own water. This trail race is too hard to depend on the aid stations alone. I also raced this one so I ran as fast as I could, knowing about the yummy treats I was going to devour at the end. It doesn’t get much better than fresh baked cinnamon rolls and a community potluck at the finish! It’s one of the reasons I run this race.
This year, we decided to splurge a little and stay at Trapper John’s cabin. This unique space is actually 2 cabins put together to make one. The old trapper’s cabin is full of relics, like the VHS player and lots of VHS tapes (haha). We tried to stay awake to watch Harry Potter, but the fall weather had us falling asleep early. While there is a working and clean port o pot outside, we did have running water and a bathroom inside
One of my favorite times of this weekend was commandeering a bicycle with an attached carriage to the rear. Candace was strong enough to take us for a short spin around the block, while I laughed hysterically in the back and took pictures.
We also like to walk around town and by the river to see if we can spot Denali, who was not visible that afternoon.
Equinox Marathon, 26.2 miles, Fairbanks, AK. September 21st:
The Equinox marathon website, along with other reputable race sources, calls this marathon “one of the hardest in the world.” I ran this marathon for the first time in 2009, and I don’t remember it being THAT hard, however, we had good weather that year.
This year was quite a different story though, and the reputation of the race reared itself with the weather. First of all, I did not plan to run this marathon, as I have several other marathons on the menu. However, I met people during the McCarthy half marathon who were running it, so my interest was peaked. Then I saw a post from my new ultra runner friend from Nome, AK. Carol also spontaneously signed up for this race (she does 100 milers!), so I figured I’d better head to Fairbanks and give it a go. Carol and I were so busy chatting that the start gun went off while we were walking to the start line, essentially in a large field of grass. And off we went!
Fairbanks is about a 7 hour drive from Anchorage, and as a weekend warrior with a 5 day per week job and a Saturday race, I had to fly to Fairbanks, on the 11 pm flight! Candace drove to Fairbanks that Friday morning, over 500 miles, to pick up my race bib for me :)
As I checked the weather, I almost regretted my spontaneous decision. The weather predication was 30 degrees and rain. This marathon climbs up about 1800 feet, and at the top of the mountain snow was correctly predicated. If I can run this marathon, I can do anything! The single track trails had me slipping around on the greasy mud on the way up. Although I did eat the best Twix bar I’ve ever had at one of the “unofficial” aid stations, which were also serving Bloody Marys’.
There’s a relay race in conjunction with the marathon, and I saw another runner friend Neil trying to stay warm while waiting for his relay partner. A common trick of runners, usually at the start of a marathon, is to wear a plastic garbage bag to stay warm.
He walked (that’s right, it’s okay to walk) up the Ester Dome road with me. This portion of the race was probably the most challenging weather wise. The freezing rain and wind was stinging my face like little needles pressing on my cheekbones. I could not even look up as I walked because my eyes would sting from the rain.
I had my jacket hood up for protection, and the rain was hitting the top of my hood so violently it sounded like rain on a tin roof. The wind whipping through my hood sounded like the American flag blowing in the wind.
At the top of the Dome, I saw my running nemesis and now friend Natalie taking a breather. It was a good opportunity for me to sit in the chair next to her and remove the nagging rock from my shoe, for the third time! We shared the trail together for about 3 miles of so to the turn around point where yummy snacks of vanilla cookies and warm water was served. A blazing fire greeted us, were I took the opportunity to put on the shirt wrapped around my waist and text Candace to tell her my 5-6 hour finish time was turning into 6-7 hours. One of the friendly volunteers held my rain jacket in front of the fire while I transitioned, steam started wafting in the air from the wetness. Natalie took off while I fiddled with the buttons on my phone, my frozen fingers not agile enough to prevent spell check from blurring my message.
Coming back down the Ester Dome, most of the relay runners waiting were now on the course and hopefully getting warm. Once I hit mile 18, the rain began to subside. The last miles of the race were pretty quiet and lovely. The course so dynamic that I didn’t need to use my mantra to get me through the final miles, like I usually do in a regular road marathon.
It took me an hour longer to finish the Equinox, than it did for me to finish my 1st 49K (30.4 miles) ultra marathon just a month prior. I treated this race like an ultra though, walking most of the hills and stopping to eat at all the aid stations. While I did not imbibe in the alcoholic beverages, I did have fun chatting with those serving them.
At the finish, I received the coveted Equinox patch, the badge of honor for finishing this brutal race.
After the race, I was too tired to go out to eat, so Candace stopped at this Romanian restaurant, SOBA, and brought take out to the hotel. Best. Dumplings. Ever. (Highly recommended!)
The next morning before check out, I took my legs out for my mile run. I’ve been running at least a mile per day since January 1st, 2019. Although I was sore, I wasn’t ready to give up my run streak just yet!
After breakfast, we took a trip to Creamer’s Field to do a little hike before heading back to Anchorage. Creamer’s Field is an old farm turned bird sanctuary. While we didn’t see any birds, we did walk the borealis forest trail. It was a brisk morning, and the boardwalks were a little slippery with a sheen of ice, which added a bit of a thrill with stiff legs.
On the long drive home, we decided to stop at one of Alaska’s roadside attractions, the igloo. I read an article that said this place was being built as a hotel and the owner ran out of money. This was the first time we’ve ever stopped to admire the dilapidated structure.
Oktoberfest, 10K (6.2 miles) Run to end homelessness, Downtown Anchorage, September 28th:
If you run 3 of the Anchorage Running Club’s event in one year, you get a special metal. This race is included and registration fees go to the Bean’s café to benefit our city’s homeless. You can choose between a 5 or 10K. I signed up for the 10K race before I decided to run the Equinox. Costumed runners get a one-minute head start. This is a great event that starts near the coastal trail downtown and runs along the water for a pretty (funny) fall run.
Kenai half marathon (13.1 miles), Kenai AK, September 29th:
Kenai is about a 4-hour drive from Anchorage, so we got ourselves a cheap hotel room for the night. I wanted to run this one “fast”, but once I started out and felt the tightness in my left gluteal, I decided to take it easy. It rained harder here than it did at the Equinox. So hard in fact, that the inside of my jacket sleeves were sagging with water. This is one of my favorite half marathons though because you get free reindeer sausage at the end! I run for food.
Running season is coming to a close for me in Anchorage, but marathon season has arrived in the lower 48. October is a huge month for marathons, and I’ll be running two. Wish me luck and I’ll keep you all posted!